DOES GOD RESIDE IN ALL?

[sher_panjabi]

GOD RESIDES WITHIN ALL :T:

"Gauree, Ninth Mehl: Holy Saadhus: sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe. You have obtained the priceless jewel of this human life; why are you uselessly wasting it? ||1||Pause|| He is the Purifier of sinners, the Friend of the poor. Come, and enter the Lord's Sanctuary. Remembering Him, the elephant's fear was removed; so why do you forget Him? ||1|| Renounce your egotistical pride and your emotional attachment to Maya; focus your consciousness on the Lord's meditation. Says Nanak, this is the path to liberation. Become Gurmukh, and attain it. ||2||5||"

(Ang 218 - SGGS)

Last week I went to the Gurdwara and something which the person doing the Kathaa (discourse on Gurbaani) stuck in my mind. The Giani Ji doing Kathaa was explaining how Gurbaani says Waheguru resides within all and that Waheguru forgives and cleans the sins or filth of a sinner.

He went on to explain how at the end of Ardaas we all say together, ‘Naanak naam Chardikala, tere Bhaane Sarbat da bhalaa’. Yes, we say, ‘sarbat da bhalaa’. We ask for the good of ‘all’. Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not say, ‘I ask for the good of all except for Aurangzeb who cowardly murdered my two young sons’. No! When we do Ardaas we do not say, ‘Sarbat Da Bhalaa, but that person who swore at me last week, I don’t want his bhalaa (good)’.

A beautifully analogy was given to illustrate the good within all. Sometimes I t

hink, Waheguru is within all, but seeing Waheguru in all can be difficult. The example given by Giani Ji was:

‘A lady works hard to earn a living. On the side, she saves a little bit of money at a time, so that they she can save up to buy a gold bracelet. Eventually, the lady saves enough money to go the jeweller’s shop and buys a gold bracelet. She gives the bracelet to her child. The child one day is walking with the bracelet and accidentally drops the bracelet in the gutter. The gutter is dirty. God knows what is in the gutter. Urine, dirt, people’s spit, and the smell.

Would we expect the child to leave the bracelet in the gutter and walk on home? No. Why not? Because he knows how hard his mother has worked to earn the money, which she used to buy the bracelet. Therefore, he stretches out his arm and picks up the dirty bracelet. He goes to wash the bracelet with water and soap, and then puts it back on his hand.’

Waheguru has made all of us. Waheguru sees us all as good, because the Lord has created us and the Lord knows how beautiful we are within despite how much filth and dirt we throw on ourselves.

Guru Nanak Ji did not only reveal Gurbaani, but he also lived gurbaani. Guru Nanak Ji stretched his arm out to help people. Guru Nanak Ji stretched his arm out to help people out of the gutter. Guru Nanak Ji stretched his arm out of people to give them the chance to realise that they can clean themselves and realise that under this dirt and filth lies a beautiful treasure.

Guru Nanak Ji gave his arm out to ‘Bhumeeyaa chor’, a bandit and thief, and help him to become a sant, saintly person.

Guru Nanak Ji gave his arm out to ‘Kauda Raaksh’, a cannibal who ate men, and inspired him to remember Waheguru and live a truthful life.

Guru Nanak Ji gave his arm out to ‘Sajjan Tagg’, a deceitful murderer who would rob people of their money, and made him realise the consequences of his actions.

Guru Nanak Ji gave his arm out. Guru Nanak Ji saw Waheguru within all. Because Guru Na

nak Ji knew that Waheguru had created everyone and that the Lord has made everyone perfect, he stretched his arm out to help people rather than look down upon them. Just as the child stretched out his arm to get out the gold bangle from the dirty gutter because he knew his mother had worked hard to buy it, similarly a Gurmukh sees the beauty of Waheguru within all, despite the dirt and filth which one throws upon his self.

A week later I went back to Southall to visit the Gurdwara and to do Sat-Sang. It was nearly time for me to leave because the train was soon to arrive. I had ate some Langar and then walked towards the train station. On the way to the train station I walked pass a Halaal fast food restaurant. Through the window I could see a young sardar, with a uncut tied beard with a keshki tied on his head, eating a chicken burger. Because it was a Halaal restaurant, so it was a Halaal chicken burger that the singh was eating. I felt shocked and that it was bad to see a sardar in a Halaal food place (for Sikhs eating Halaal or Kosher meat is one of the four main prohibitions). I was considering whether or not to go inside and ask the singh whether he knew that he was eating in a Halaal restaurant. But then I thought it is a free country. In the pub I will find sardars – what should I also tell them to respect their sikhi saroop? Standing outside the Halaal fast food restaurant, my mind battled what to do. On one side my mind was saying, ‘You are a Khalsa! If you see a fellow Sikh disrespecting his Sikhi saroop then you should politely and with humility express your concerns as a Gursikh. On the other hand, my mind was saying, that the person will reply back with, “Kal da jameyaa, taa saanu dasdaa kee karnaa… born yesterday, you are telling me what to do”. He could easily argue that there are Sikhs all around Southall who trim their beards, drin

k alcohol while in Sikhi saroop or do other similar acts. So what would I reply? I was confused. I walked passed the restaurant twice thinking what to do?

Eventually my mind caved in, rightly or wrongly and I walked on. Just as I walked on, literally a few shops downs, on the corner of the road, a man fell down to the ground. It looked like he had been pushed been two drunkards who suddenly rushed off after the man collapsed to the ground. I hurried to the man to see if he was okay. I realised the man was drunk. He looked like a tramp. I have seen the man before in Southall. He was Panjabi, but looked homeless or something, looking at his clothes and state of being. I asked the man, ‘Are you okay?.. tusee tee hai?’ I could hear no reply.

Two youngsters looked at the man and then walked off. I was shocked. How can people just walk on by when this man has been pushed or collapsed in the middle of the pavement? I thought should I help this man up?

"Nanak seeks the company of the lowest of the low class, the very lowest of the low. Why should he try to compete with the great? In that place where the lowly are cared for-there, the Blessings of Your Glance of Grace rain down. ||4||3||"

(Ang 15, SGGS)

My moorakh mind was saying, ‘You are wearing clean kurta pyjaaama, your hands will get dirty touching this dirty drunkard… Why help him get up, he has caused his own misery by drinking alcohol… I am sure he will be fine. There are many like him who drink too much and fall to the ground.’ :T:

But my aatma, my soul said something different. My aatma told me, ‘O Mind! Despite this man is drunk, caused his own misery or whether he is dirty. At

the end of the day, he was made by Waheguru. Whether I can see it or not, but my dear Waheguru resides within him as well. So O Mind! Pick up this man. Remember Giani Ji’s story of how Guru Nanak Ji gave his arm and helped people to get out of the gutter. O Sikh of Guru Nanak, help this man get up.’

"The One Lord is contained within all. By Guru's Grace, Waheguru is revealed. One who subdues his ego, finds lasting peace; he drinks in the Ambrosial Nectar of the True Name. ||8||"

(Ang 1049 – SGGS)

Following my aatma, I stretched my arm out to the dirty drunkard tramp get up. The man seemed to have had cuts, bruises and marks across his face and body from previous incidents. Three times I say, ‘Come, I will help you. Give me your hand.’

He stared at my face intensely and said nothing. After the third time I stretched my hand out to him, he said, ‘O paaji, police noo phone kardiyau, hor kuchh nehee…. Police noo phone kar deyo…please paaji’. I said, ‘teek mai police noo phone kardaa’. I was about to get my mobile phone out, when two community wardens came up. I told them to ring for an ambulance and police. The wardens stood there and smiled and said ‘what’s the problem’ to the tramp. Though I found their response unsympathetic, I expected it was due to regular incidents of this kind when some people may cause a nuisance. Eventually the ambulance were called and left the tramp in the care of the wardens. I thought, if had not seen the singh in the Halaal food shop then I would have probably not been able to help this tramp. I was at that place and time to offer my help to the tramp with Waheguru’s kirpaa. And it seemed that generally people were either scared or felt cautious to help the drunkard tramp, which can be expected especially because it was dark and late at night.

That night, I thought. Dhan Guru Nanak Mahraaj. That Guru, which didn’t look to see whether his clothes would get dirty, that guru which did not stop to consider whether the person smelt

or was lowly – but in all cases the Guru indiscriminately offered his supporting arm of help. “Dhan Guru Nanak, Dhan Guru Nanak” was coming out of my mouth on the journey back to my Halls of Residence. I am the dust of the feet of that Guru, which so great. May I be blessed with the humility, love and kindness of Guru Nanak and the vision to see the unseen Lord in within all.

"He places the one who strays back on the Path; such a Guru is found by great good fortune. ||1|| Meditate, contemplate the Name of the Lord, O mind. The Beloved Feet of the Guru abide within my heart. ||1||Pause||"

(Ang 803 – SGGS)

I have offended anyone with anything I have wrote, then I ask for forgiveness.

Be inspired, and inspire others.

May Waheguru bless you.

manvir_singh_khalsa@yahoo.co.uk

[Nama Singh]

Thank you. Thank you for taking the time and effort to write that. Its really thought provoking. I think these things too... its like India... so many poor people, so many beggars. You know that if you give one of those beggars some money, the rest of them will follow you around for hours asking for money in a big crowd. You also know that there are stories of beggars who own mansions and that its all organised begging. But theres that thing inside of you which eats away at your heart whilst you reject their pleas... what harms it going to do my pocket to give them 5 rupees or sumthing? You feel really bad inside.

Vaheguru is PURE goodness. Goodness is in everyone. EVERYONE. Without execption. We all have the ability to love, to care, to help others, to make people smile... love, help, care, smiling - its all goodness. And thats Maharaaj. So the drunken guy... you have no right to

think "oh well he's a tramp - he brought it on himself" because Maharaaj is giving him the sazaa for whatever sins he commited in his past life or lives. We should have that much love, that much pyaar in us to say "no Maharaaj, let me take the burden of his sins on - spare him." We should have that much love for mankind. Mankind being not only "apne" but our brothers and sisters from all different backgrounds.

[V]

Edited due to various reasons

haha

Wicked article Manvir SIngh ji :wub:

[Nama Singh]

edited coz Mr $ingh edited his so i thought i wud follow suit...! :e:

[Khalsa4ever]

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

Thank you for the insightful post jee!

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

[Akaal Purakh Di Fauj]

WAHEGURU

[Mkhalsa]

Instead of giving them money, spend the time to buy them food. Giving them money will not help them, but giving them food will. Only once has a beggar told me to go away saying they dont want food. It is sad when a drug is needed more than nourishment.

But still, we should always feed the needy when we see them.